laz alonso

TV Squad is in one of the seediest strip clubs in Toronto, watching Lauren Velez from 'Dexter' chatting amicably with a tough-looking thug and a pretty young stripper.

We're on the set of the new A&E crime show 'Breakout Kings,' and Velez and company are gearing up to film an intense shoot-out scene. Created by Matt Olmstead ('Prison Break,' 'NYPD Blue') and Nick Santora ('Prison Break,' 'The Sopranos'), each episode follows an unconventional team of two U.S. Marshals and three inmates trying to catch an escaped fugitive.

The rationale behind the unusual arrangement is that "it takes a con to catch a con." In exchange for helping the Marshals hunt down escaped bad guys, the three inmates get a break from jail while they're on the case, and a month off of their total sentences for each criminal they net. This time around, Velez is playing the inmate on the run -– a far cry from her role as the career-driven Lt. Maria Laguerta on 'Dexter.'

According to Deadline Hollywood, the 'West Wing' veteran will play Mira, a former homicide detective who now covers robberies. '17th Precinct' is set in the fictional city of Excelsior, a place where magic and the supernatural rule.

When NBC picked up the show to pilot, it was described as a 'Harry Potter'-type show for grown-ups.

In other TV news ...

• 'Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe' will premiere April 17 at 9PM on USA. The prequel is set in 2005 and directed by 'Burn Notice' star Jeffrey Donovan. [Entertainment Weekly]

• Gary Cole has joined the cast of Fox's comedy pilot 'Tagged.' Cole will play James Percy, a coroner who works with his son. [Deadline Hollywood]

• Will Paget Brewster leave 'Criminal Minds'? The actress is currently fielding comedy pilot offers from Fox. Her final 'Criminal Minds' episode of the season will end with a cliffhanger, A.J. Cook is returning to the series to possibly whisk her away. [Deadline Hollywood]